At Vanderbilt, we’ve been doing a lot with professional branding lately.  What you wear, what you do, and how you speak, sit, and walk all say things about you and can all become part of the 3-5 keywords you want to have as your professional brand.

Karen Kelsky of The Professor Is In is on our wavelength.  A recent post inThe Chronicle of Higher Ed‘s Vitae section highlights the importance of dress and presentation of yourself at conference interviews.  In addition to restating her cardinal rule (Do Not Look Or Act Like A Grad Student), Kelsky tackles the question of what to do when you have multiple interviews at one conference with only one suit, especially when you happen to be female.  While she suggests prioritizing the deployment of the suit for either your top prospect or the institution with the most formal culture, be sure to read the comments for dissenting views and a response from Kelsky.

Her linked blog piece, How Not to F**k Up Your Conference Interview, goes into more detail about both how to dress and what types of questions to be prepared to answer, among other things you should do to prepare for your conference interviews.

About the Author

Screen Name

Rebecca Helton, MA

About Me

I'm a Senior Program Manager for the Edge at Vanderbilt and primarily work with early career faculty. I manage the Newman Society, the VUMC Faculty Research Scholars program, Edge Reviews, and more. I also edit much of the content on the Edge. When not editing, writing, or working on career development activities, you can find me jumping, spinning, and gliding on the ice.